City's congestion charge generates £1m in a month

A congestion charge originally forecast to bring in £320,000 a month instead raised more than £1m in January, figures show.

Oxfordshire County Council introduced the temporary £5 daily congestion charge on six roads in Oxford in October.

Council figures show the majority of the £1.04m generated from the scheme in January came from fines issued to people who failed to pay the charge.

Overall, £757,435 came from penalty charges, while £287,205 was from those paying the charge.

That is compared to only £70 earned through fines in the scheme's first two months.

In total, the authority has generated £1.7m in income from the scheme since it started.

The authority previously said income raised by the scheme would be reinvested into offering free bus journeys to and from the city's park and ride sites.

Andrew Gant, the council's transport chief, said the scheme was "delivering real benefits in terms of journey times and traffic reduction in the city that people are enjoying now".

"The money collected from daily payments and penalty charges is invested into improving travel for residents and visitors," he said.

"[The] county council is now reviewing how income generated by the temporary congestion charge could be spent."

Oxford's temporary congestion charge was introduced in October. It involves drivers paying a £5 fee to travel through one of six points in the city centre.

The scheme has proved controversial, with a judicial review against the scheme turned down by the High Court last month.

The council has said the charge is a temporary measure to tackle congestion in the city until traffic filters it had planned can be installed.

The traffic filter trial is currently on hold until the ongoing works on the Botley Road are completed.

The maximum time the congestion charge scheme would be in place is two years, the authority has said.

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